Voting booth



Nov. 4 1924. l,514,038 E. J. DOUGLAS VOTING BOOTH F11-ed May 21. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l la P151 /7 /4 aa /7 a e a2\ j j I4 l Hnm I-, mhl h, a@ "I 20 lo i (I 4 la lo [El z l f l E. JDOUGLAS INVENTOR.

BY @NLR ATTORNEY' 8 2 3 t. o m ...W L. m w s s M m m m d D m m 6. l W d E F Nov, 4 1924.

EJDOUG LAS IN VEN TOR.

By cl' ATTORNEY'.

Patented Nov. 4, i924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIZABETH J. DOUGLAS, OF CRETE, NEBRASKA.

VOTING BOOTH.

Application filed. May 21,

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ELIZABETH J. Dona LAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Crete, in the county of Saline and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting Booths, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is the provision of a collapsible voting booth which meets the mechanical and legal requirements for such booths.

The original practice at about the time of the introduction of the Australian balloting system was to erect temporary booths of lumber. This practice has become all but abandoned, largely because of the excessive wastes involved in the practice. As a general rule the booths had to be torn down after the days balloting, the lumber usually being made useless in the tearing down process. This vvaste of material and labor along with the fire hazard of the wooden booths created a demand for a relative fire proof and practicallyv indestructible booth which could be collapsed into an almost insignificant space and be easily and quickly set up by unskilled labor. It also became necessary to take into consideration the restrictions imposed by the laws of the various States and municipalities. rlhe voting booth described hereinafter and shown in my drawings is the culmination of many years experience in the manufacturing and selling of voting booths. My invention in its final form and as here described, meets all legal requirements, and at the same time it is as strong, durable, and light in weight as it is possible to make such va booth, being also so simple in construction that anyone without previous practice can set it up or take it down in a few minutes time.

In the drawings forming part of my applic-ation, and in which like numerals refer to like parts in the description,

Figure l is a perspective view of two of my voting booths, the front canvas door cover of the second booth being omitted to show the interior of the booth.

Figure 2 is an interior View showing the brace connection between one of the standards and the cross link attached to the standard.

Figure 8 is an exterior view of one of the upper corners of my booth.

Figures 4 and 5 are fragmentary views 1923. Serial No. 640,534.

of the link connection which I employ in the construction of my booth.

Figure 6 is a detail view of the shelf or table as seen from the under side.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of one of the standards and the connections for supporting the shelf.

Figure 8 shows the clip by means of which I secure the canvas door cover to the front of my booth.

Figure 9 is a view in perspective of the clip which I use for attaching the side and rear wall canvas to the frame of my booth.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view of the end of the front cross link which I use on all of the booths of a series except the first of the series.

Figure l1 is a diagram in plan, showing the relation of the canvases to each other.

Since the first booth differs in some structural respects from others of the series, I will first describe the structural details of that booth and then point out the features wherein the subsequent booths or stalls differ from the lirst.

rIhe first booth which in my arrangement is the booth at the left hand end of the series, has four uprights or standards 10, one at each corner of the booth. The uprights are made of angle iron, and are so positioned that the corners of the angle irons become the corners of the booth. The bottoni extremities of the angle irons are split and the split portions are bent at right angles to constitute toes or feet for the uprights.

Pivotally connected to the uprights 10 at their upper extremities are links 12 of strap iron, shown in full in Figure l, and in detail in Figures 2, 3, t, and 5. These links are all equal in length and are otherwise standardized for convenience in manufacture and in assembling. Each pair of links is pivotally connected at 13, this point being therefore midway between the uprights when the booth is set up. Intermediate the extremities of the uprights and suitably spaced from the lower extremity are similar links l2 on all sides of the booth except the front. Each link 12 is pivoted to a wall of the angle iron in such a manner that the link will fold into the angle of the angle iron.

It will readily be seen from the above when set up, I provide a. brace 14 for each link 12. Each brace is pivoted at one of its extremities bene-ath the pivotal point of its companion link 12 and to t-he same angle iron wall. The free end of the brace member 14 has a notch 15 in its edge, the notch' 15 being adapted to cooperate with a projecting button 16 secured to the companion link 12. rIheposition and direction o-f the notch 15 is such that when it is locked over the button 16 it will resist all strains which would tend to break the joint 13, and since each joint 13 is braced by two braces 14, it

y will be seen that the structure when set uparo-und the three sides.

` front right hand corner of the booth.

`is exceedingly rigid.

Each booth is enclosed on its four vertical sides by walls which are preferably made of canvas or similar fabric. In municipalities which require a more or less fireproof material for the walls, I impregnate the material with a fire proofing solution, or in eX- treme cases I may make the walls from asbestes fabric. As shown in Figure 11, the side and rear walls of the first booth of the series are all in one piece which fits snugly Metallic clips 17 as shown in Figure 9, are secured to the can'- vas at its top and lateral edges. In erecting or setting up the first booth, the clips 17 are first hooked over the front wall of the left hand front angle iron upright 10, the canvas is carried around the back and right hand side, andthe clips 17 on that edge of the canvas are hooked over the edge ofv the wall of the Vangle 4iron upright 1() at the To prevent vertical displacement of the canvas, the clips 17 of the upper edge are hooked over the uppery edges of the links at the top of the booth.

The second and all. subsequent booths of `the series are similarv in size to the first booth but are differently constructed. The second booth has a single pair of angle iron uprights 10, which are linked together and bra-.ced just as the uprights on the side of thev first booth is provided with projecting buttons similar to the buttons 18, the position of one of these buttons being indicated in Figure 1. Each booth has three such butto-ns near its right hand side, there being one at the front and two at the rear. The free ends vof the links 12 are provided with notches 19 as shown in Figure 10, this figure showing a portion of the link 12 at the front of the second booth. In assembling, the notches 19 are simply hooked over the buttons 18 in order to make a single structure of the first and second booths. The system of bracing in the second booth is much the same as that of the first booth, except at the place Where the two booths are connected. The braces 14, which are identical in size and dimensions with the braces 14, are pivot'ally conl nected to the right hand uprights 10 of the rst booth, but on the outer side of the angle irons and on the same pivot pin with its companion brace 14.

The canvas for the second booth differs from the first only in that it covers two sides instead of three. The second canvas is first secured by means of its clips 17 to the edge of the rear, right hand upright 10 of the first booth, whence it is carried around the back and right hand side of the second booth and otherwise secured in the manner already ending the stitching short of both ends, they above mentioned slits are made without in any way weakening the fabric. The aperture ispositioned inline with the'slits and somewhat above the level of the shelf or table with which each of the booths are lprovided.

The front curtains are identical in size and shape in all of the booths. Eye clips 22 are secured to the front curtain near "each extremity of the upper edge, the clips 22 being adapted to be secured tothe buttons 23,

projecting outwardly from the top ends of the front uprights 10. Additional clips l17 similar to those already described, are at- ICU tached to the top edge'of the curtain to as- Y sist in preventing the displacement of the curtain when in use.

The shelf or table which I use in all of my booths is shown in Figure 6. This table consists of two hinged portions andl vmeans for securing in place in the booth. The rear portion spans the distance between the two rear uprights 10 of a booth, and at its rear it is provided with two pins 24 and 25. The pin 24 projec,ts"'late1'ally but the pin25 projects rearwardly. The rear uprights'1() (except the extreme left hand upright of the series) :1re each provided with two slots 24 and 25', as shown in Figure 7. The left hand rear upright of the first booth has only the slot 24. Notched brackets 26 are pivotally secured to the upright at a suitable distance above the slot 24', the two brackets being pivoted on the same pin but on opposite Sides of the angle iron wall. The notches in the brackets 26 are adapted to be secured to the projecting pins 27 on the lateral edges of the table. It should be noted that the forward section of the table is narrower than the rearward section to afford. ample clearance for the braces 26. Each canvas has two eyelets 28 in that portion of the canvas which serves as the right hand wall. of the booth. The rear eyelet 2S registers with the slot 24 and the forward eyelet 28 is in position to receive the right hand pin 27 of the shelf, in which position the brace 26 can be secured to the pin 27.

I have shown and described only two booths or stalls of the series. The subsequent booths are structurally like the second, thus making it possible to extend the series of booths indefinitely. The system is thus susceptible of great iiexibility. If a single booth is needed, the first booth only of the series is installed, the booth being complete in every respect. rIhe booths may be set up against a wall in a single row, or they may be placed back to back in two rows, or if desired, they may be assembled in the form of a hollow square.

1While I have described my invention in great detail and in very specific terms, especially as regards the use of certain materials such as angle iron, strap iron, and canvas, I do not desire to be restricted to the use of these or any other specific materials, but I reserve to myself all of my rights to any or all equivalents of the materials and structures which I have described and claimed in specific terms.

Having thus described my invention in terms which will be readily understood by others skilled in the art to which it pertains, what I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. A voting booth having a rectangular' frame of angle iron uprights at its corners and a shelf which is adapted to be secured to the rear pair of uprights, said shelf hav ing a pair of projecting pins at its rear edge, one of said pins being positioned at one of the extremities of the rear edge of the shelf and projecting laterally therefrom and the other of said pins being positioned at the other extremity of the rear edge of the shelf and projecting rearwardly therefrom, said rea-r uprights being provided with apertures which are adapted to receive said pins whereby one of the extremities of the rear edge of the shelf will be secured to the lat-- eral wall of one of the angle iron uprights and the other extremity of the rear edge of the shelf will be secured to the rear wall of the other of the rear uprights, links pivoted to the lateral walls of said rear uprights at points above the said shelf, and pins projecting laterally on each lateral edge of the shelf adjacent the forward edge thereof, said pivoted links being provided with notches attheir free extremities for engag ing saidl last named pins for supporting the forward edge of said shelf.

2. A plurality of collapsible voting booths which are adapted to be interlocked to form a continuous row of voting booths, the first of said booths having a frame consisting of angle iron uprights at the four corners of the booth, folding links on all four sides of the booth connecting the upper extremities of the uprights, similar folding links at the back and both sides of the booth and intermediate the extremities of the uprights, a brace for each link, each brace being pivoted to the upright beneath its companion link, means in the free end of each brace for releasably engaging its companion link, an integral piece of canvas secured to the front pair of uprights and to the top links for covering the sides and rear of the booth, a second booth having a single pair of angle iron uprights connected together by a pair of pivoted folding links, pivoted braces for said links, said pair of uprights with its links and braces 'being adapted to serve as the outer wall of the second booth, links pivotally connected to said uprights at their upper extremities, a third link pivoted to the rear upright of said pair of uprights intermediate the ends of said rear upright, said three links having means at their free ends for detachably engaging the uprights at one side of said first booth, braces releasably connecting said links to the uprights of said second booth, other braces pivotally secured to the uprights to which said three links are detachably secured, said last named braces having detachable connections with said three links, and an integral piece of canvas covering the back and outer side of said second booth, said canvas being secured to a rear upright of the first booth and to the outer front upright of the second booth.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

ELIZABETH J. DOUGLAS.

lll) 

